Museum removes mummies on China’s request

Philadelphia (Agencies): A museum just days away from opening a long-awaited exhibit including two mummies and other historical artifacts from China is stopping the display of all objects at the request of Chinese officials.

The artifacts were part of 'Secrets of the Silk Road', which is scheduled to open on Saturday at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia. The exhibit has already traveled to museums in California and Texas without issue.

Penn museum spokeswoman Pam Kosty said she could not reveal any more information beyond a statement saying Chinese officials had requested the items not be shown. She refused to identify the officials.

The Chinese consulates were not available for comment because of the Chinese New Year holiday.

The exhibit's main attraction is a nearly 4,000-year-old, pristinely preserved mummy from far western China, whose flaxen hair and eyelashes are still unbroken. A well-preserved mummy of a baby, along with brightly colored burial trappings of a third mummy, was among more than 100 ancient objects featured.

The artifacts come from the Tarim Basin in the autonomous Xinjiang Uyghur region of China. Victor Mair, a Penn professor of Chinese language and literature, has been researching and leading expeditions in the area for more than 20 years and helped develop the exhibit.